New defensive coordinator bring back Jon Tenuta

[cpf2001]

What I heard at the time was that there was 0% chance Tenuta was staying after Gailey was fired and Johnson was hired. Pissed about how the interim thing + coaching search before bowl was handled, or such.

No need to critique his defenses too harshly - a lot of GT teams would've won a LOT fewer games without them. Even the Matt Ryan thing - it's like when people say things like "Paul Johnson wasn't that great, GT couldn't do anything about Iowa's great defense." It's near impossible to have a unit that never gets burnt. And it's not like GT was overflowing with alternative DC candidates who would've been a Matt-Ryan-shutting-down upgrade. Tenuta's teams consistently did more than enough in most games to win. But they also wouldn't hold up today.

 

[UgaBlows]

People always bring up the Matt Ryan game to hold against Tenuta, but every DC has games where they get beat and have no answer for the offense they are facing. Tenuta and his defenses won us a LOT of games.

 

[cpf2001]

No discussion of the BC game should be allowed without mention of the 3 point, negative-total-rushing-yards Notre Dame game from that same year.

 

[kg01]

I loved Tenuta while he was here.

The idea of hiring him today is ridiculous on it's face.

Had he never coached here, no one here would even remotely conceive of this as a concept.

The attachment people have just because people worked here is very strange.

 

[cpf2001]

The attachment people have just because people worked here is very strange.

It's not just that he worked here - he's not Ted Roof. His defenses were the last time Tech had even an above-average D in decades (and they were often well above average).

Probably a lot of posters here who have never in their lifetime seen a good Tech defense that wasn't coached by Tenuta.

 

[RonJohn]

All the good defensive coordinators already have jobs. This is very bad timing with signing day 4 days away.

Why does signing day matter in this discussion? How many spots do we have available to sign anyone? (I think only 1)

 

[GTJackets]

I know I only went to Southern Tech so not as smart as most on here (but I believe you would promote someone (Jess Simpson) and hire a LB coach.

I applied and got accepted to Southern College of Technology. I attended and graduated from Southern Polytechnic State University. And now I'm a proud Kennesaw State alumni. It's no wonder we're so confused.

FWIW, I did attend GT back in the 90's a couple different times. I was one of the "2 out of 3" my first time around.

 

[Heisman's Ghost]

What is it with fans of this program and the infatuation of bringing back coaches from years, sometimes decades ago? Why don’t we dig up Heisman while we’re at it and get the biomed kids to reanimate him. The game has changed significantly. Key and his staff will find the right candidate for the future of Georgia Tech football - and hopefully it won’t be a 70 year old who had success with the program 20 years ago.

Well, I think my other half is unavailable for comment and is not likely to be affected by being summoned like Samuel was for King Saul by the Witch of Endor.

 

[Heisman's Ghost]

It's not just that he worked here - he's not Ted Roof. His defenses were the last time Tech had even an above-average D in decades (and they were often well above average).

Probably a lot of posters here who have never in their lifetime seen a good Tech defense that wasn't coached by Tenuta.

Well, they probably have never seen linebackers like Phillip Wheeler, Daryl Smith (Albany's own) and K Mike Hall among others either. Coach Gailey always put the best athletes it seemed on defense. Tenuta was blessed with having very good defensive linemen and defensive backs that were coached up by him personally. As to the original poster's contention, Jon is much too old and its time to get some young dogs to run the yard and put the old dogs on the porch.

 

[kg01]

It's not just that he worked here - he's not Ted Roof. His defenses were the last time Tech had even an above-average D in decades (and they were often well above average).

Probably a lot of posters here who have never in their lifetime seen a good Tech defense that wasn't coached by Tenuta.

If he hadn't worked here, you would not be making a case for him. Period.

There is literally no legitimate school in the country even remotely considering him. It's laughable that we're even talking about it.

 

[Heisman's Ghost]

It's not just that he worked here - he's not Ted Roof. His defenses were the last time Tech had even an above-average D in decades (and they were often well above average).

Probably a lot of posters here who have never in their lifetime seen a good Tech defense that wasn't coached by Tenuta.

A perusal of Tech games during the Gailey years with Tenuta as the defensive coordinator is interesting.

2002 Tech upsets #10 NC State
2003 Tech upsets #17 Auburn
2004 Tech upsets #23 Maryland
2005 Tech upsets #16 Auburn (again) and #3 Miami with Tech recording something like 9 sacks in that game.
2006 Tech upsets #2 Notre Dame holding the Irish to 10 points
2007 Tech upsets #13 Clemson

The vast majority of the time Tech was unranked because when Tenuta's defense was not good it was just plain awful. It was pretty much feast or famine. IIWII

 

[stinger78]

What I heard at the time was that there was 0% chance Tenuta was staying after Gailey was fired and Johnson was hired. Pissed about how the interim thing + coaching search before bowl was handled, or such.

No need to critique his defenses too harshly - a lot of GT teams would've won a LOT fewer games without them. Even the Matt Ryan thing - it's like when people say things like "Paul Johnson wasn't that great, GT couldn't do anything about Iowa's great defense." It's near impossible to have a unit that never gets burnt. And it's not like GT was overflowing with alternative DC candidates who would've been a Matt-Ryan-shutting-down upgrade. Tenuta's teams consistently did more than enough in most games to win. But they also wouldn't hold up today.

Tenuta was a walking pi$$ in search of a pot. Look forward, not back.

 

[Northeast Stinger]

No discussion of the BC game should be allowed without mention of the 3 point, negative-total-rushing-yards Notre Dame game from that same year.

Is that even a valid comparison though?

The Notre Dame game was the first game of the season when teams don’t have much tape on defensive schemes. How teams do against your defense later in the season is much more telling.

Of course Notre Dame was especially awful that year. 9 losses, including losing to Navy and Air Force. Check out their team stats from that year. They made a lot of defensive coordinators look really good.

 

[cpf2001]

If he hadn't worked here, you would not be making a case for him. Period.

I’m not making a case for hiring him. Has anyone but the OP?

I’m making a case for why people remember him fondly and pushing back on some “he wasn’t actually that good here” BS.

Why are people attached to him? Same reason they’re attached to Johnson: because he’s the best we’ve had on that side of the ball.

The vast majority of the time Tech was unranked because when Tenuta's defense was not good it was just plain awful. It was pretty much feast or famine. IIWII

Nah, it was because Chan Gailey couldn’t coach up a college QB to save his life, or find someone who could.

They got burned a time or two a year on D, but that’s not why they weren’t constantly ranked. Look at 2004/5/6 UGA. 2006 ND. 2006 Wake. 2003 FSU. All big important top-tier opponent games that a halfway decent offense could’ve won with what the D gave them, that would’ve seriously helped with the rankings.

Whereas most of the games where the defense got burnt had no offense show up either. Miami 2004, Clemson 2006, VT 2005, BC 2007. The offense was at least as inconsistent as the D, it might be just that the team wasn’t loaded with 2001 Miami talent to shut down every opponent every week.

 

[cpf2001]

Is that even a valid comparison though?

The Notre Dame game was the first game of the season when teams don’t have much tape on defensive schemes. How teams do against your defense later in the season is much more telling.

Of course Notre Dame was especially awful that year. 9 losses, including losing to Navy and Air Force. Check out their team stats from that year. They made a lot of defensive coordinators look really good.

The BC game was also early season, and Ryan was obviously great. Was GT the only team he made look silly. So it’s not any worse an example.

You could look at 2004/5/6 UGA for some late-season defensive gems. 2006 Wake. 2005 Miami.

Why are we dragging the most successful unit of those teams that led to a ton of great wins (and could’ve led to even more if the offensive side of the ball had a shred of imagination)?

 

[Heisman's Ghost]

I’m not making a case for hiring him. Has anyone but the OP?

I’m making a case for why people remember him fondly and pushing back on some “he wasn’t actually that good here” BS.

Why are people attached to him? Same reason they’re attached to Johnson: because he’s the best we’ve had on that side of the ball.




Nah, it was because Chan Gailey couldn’t coach up a college QB to save his life, or find someone who could.

They got burned a time or two a year on D, but that’s not why they weren’t constantly ranked. Look at 2004/5/6 UGA. 2006 ND. 2006 Wake. 2003 FSU. All big important top-tier opponent games that a halfway decent offense could’ve won with what the D gave them, that would’ve seriously helped with the rankings.

Whereas most of the games where the defense got burnt had no offense show up either. Miami 2004, Clemson 2006, VT 2005, BC 2007. The offense was at least as inconsistent as the D, it might be just that the team wasn’t loaded with 2001 Miami talent to shut down every opponent every week.

Quite so. My recollections are a seemingly unending series of three and outs with Reggie throwing the ball away. But like Tenuta's defense when he was good he was very good. Both times against ranked Auburn teams and Miami a couple of times. I will always look back more fondly on Reggie than most because one of those Auburn games, the one at Grant Field as I vaguely remember, both of my nephews and their wives who were huge Auburn fans along with two sisters in law that were Auburn graduates were guests of mine at that game and they were sure, 100% certain that the ranked Tigers would run Tech right off its home turf. Funny, how things that are viewed with certainty end up sometimes. This was their first visit to Grant Field and they were shocked at how loud it was for a small venue compared to Jordan - Hare. Is it always this loud they asked? Not really, I replied just when we play teams like Auburn, Clemson, UGA, sometimes Miami but the Tech student section was in fine form that day.

 

[cpf2001]

Quite so. My recollections are a seemingly unending series of three and outs with Reggie throwing the ball away. But like Tenuta's defense when he was good he was very good. Both times against ranked Auburn teams and Miami a couple of times. I will always look back more fondly on Reggie than most because one of those Auburn games, the one at Grant Field as I vaguely remember, both of my nephews and their wives who were huge Auburn fans along with two sisters in law that were Auburn graduates were guests of mine at that game and they were sure, 100% certain that the ranked Tigers would run Tech right off its home turf. Funny, how things that are viewed with certainty end up sometimes. This was their first visit to Grant Field and they were shocked at how loud it was for a small venue compared to Jordan - Hare. Is it always this loud they asked? Not really, I replied just when we play teams like Auburn, Clemson, UGA, sometimes Miami but the Tech student section was in fine form that day.

One thing that’s made me happy in recent years is seeing Reggie Ball get warm receptions from GT people a few times. He didn’t always get the greatest treatment from the fanbase at the time but he always left it all on the field and did his best to work some magic plenty of times. Imagine what he could’ve done in a halfway competent offensive scheme…

 

[kg01]

I’m not making a case for hiring him. Has anyone but the OP?

I’m making a case for why people remember him fondly and pushing back on some “he wasn’t actually that good here” BS.

Then I'm out of this pointless discussion.

Who fkng cares how fondly people remember him or not?

 

[iceeater1969]

Then I'm out of this pointless discussion.

Who fkng cares how fondly people remember him or not?

"Can a get back coach need a get back coach", he said with a smile.

 

[bobongo]

The vast majority of the time Tech was unranked because when Tenuta's defense was not good it was just plain awful. It was pretty much feast or famine. IIWII

Methinks you misremember. On the whole, Gailey's problem was his offense, not Tenuta's defense.